Among the Protesters: Grief, Anger, Skepticism

Protesters at Janpath, New Delhi, Dec. 29. Click here to see related slideshow.

From schoolboys to aged men and women, protesters staged peaceful protests at New Delhi’s central area of Jantar Mantar Saturday following the death of a gang-rape victim, who died overnight at a hospital in Singapore.

Policemen ringed both sides of a half-kilometer stretch of the area demarcated for the protests. But they allowed people to walk in after frisking. About 1,000 people had gathered by afternoon.

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“We hang our heads in shame that we could not get her rapists punished while she was alive,” said Rahul Singh, a 17-year-old schoolboy who came to join the protests along with three classmates as soon as they heard the news of the girl’s death. “Our mission now will be to see that the rapists are hanged and the government introduces such tough laws that no other woman should suffer a similar fate.”

Six men are in custody, charged with various crimes including rape for the Dec. 16 incident.

Women and men chanted slogans such as:”We want justice;” “She is no more, but her struggle must awaken everyone;” and “This kind of government can’t continue in power.” The chants were accompanied by drumbeats and rhythmic clapping.

As loud protests erupted, five young women sat in a corner to stage a silent protest and pay tribute to the victim with a floral wreath of white flowers with a single word, “Peace,” written on it in English, Hindi and Urdu.

“I have come here to demand not only justice, but also the safety of all women,” said Parshwati Saha. “We want the rapists to be punished within 30 days. As they say, justice delayed is justice denied.”

A shirtless man stood before dozens of policemen, berating them for their failure to protect women, showing a slogan painted on his body that said: “Why use sticks and bullets? Call for a special session of parliament and pass a tough law against rape.”

Tripti Lahiri/The Wall Street Journal

A wizened old man displayed a placard that said: “Rape Olympics: India wins gold; one every 22 minutes.”

Another old man puttered about in a three-wheeled cycle rickshaw in the protest area with a placard that said: “We will not let your sacrifice go in vain.”

Young men at the protest, who said they were there to demand stiff punishment for the rapists offered a range of reasons for the frequent attacks against women, including alcohol and the invasion of western culture via television. Few said anything about underlying traditional attitudes to women in India.

“The biggest thing is drink,” said Naresh Khari, a 23-year-old driver from Gurgaon, urging that the hands and feet of the woman’s attackers be cut off as punishment. “After man drinks he becomes a demon.”

His friend, Naresh Kumar, blamed television for what appear to be increasingly frequent and violent attacks against women.

“In television it’s all showed openly,” he said. “They show sex openly. People get corrupted.”

Other young men who were there expressed agreement, insisting there were fewer attacks in India before the days of cable TV, which arrived in India about 15 years ago.

Also a driver in Gurgaon, Mr. Kumar said when he goes home late he sees cars with dark tinted windows parked on the side of the road a few times a month, shaking from movement inside. He said he’s never reported these cars to the police. “What would be the use?”

Education activist Pankaj Mishra, who said he was not there to protest but to offer his condolences, also blamed parenting. But he was pessimistic about the possibility of any rapid change.

“This case will have an impact for 25 days,” said the 28-year-old. “I am not sure that in my lifetime India will change.”

Though many came to protest, some said that they had simply come to pay their respects.

“I don’t have any hope that the government will do anything decisive either against the rapists or bring new laws,” said one.

The outrage over the woman’s death has been widespread, though police in the capital shut down the city center to contain the reaction, barricading roads and closing metro stations.

A police official manning a barricade on a road leading to Connaught Place in the center of New Delhi near Jantar Mantar declined to comment on why so many roads were closed. “We are also not happy to restrict any movement,” he said.

A policewoman at the barricade said she would have liked to join the protest but, tugging at her police-issued belt, said she had to do her duty. “We are also sad our sister died,” she said.

Many politicians, including Sonia Gandhi, president of the ruling Congress party, took to television to declare that the woman’s death would not be in vain, and appealed to the public to remain calm.

Sushma Swaraj, a leader in the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, said on Twitter: “Her death has shaken the conscience of the nation. We must wake up and make India safe for daughters.”

Her party colleague Arun Jaitley said in a statement: “Our hearts are with the family of the victim. We need to create an environment in India, where every woman is safe. We should think why such incidents are happening in the country and we need to introspect ourselves.”

But many were skeptical that New Delhi’s political class can respond effectively to the public’s demands for action.

Shreya Shah/The Wall Street Journal

A small group linked hands and stood around Shivaji Park, Mumbai, Dec. 29.

“Is this independent India? I’m pained our country stands ashamed because of such heinous incidents,” said Hema Moorthy, a 31-year-old marketing executive working at a New Delhi-based automobile firm. “If this is not a wake-up call for our political leaders, I’m not sure what would shake them up.”

Indian FM radio stations are not allowed to broadcast news. Even so, a deejay Saturday morning alluded to “a life that passed away” in the night, and that had awakened “apathetic” Indians.

He also urged listeners to raise their voices, including by intervening in cases of public sexual harassment, but to do so peacefully. Then, playing a song called “Up in Flames,” he said this might be “what we see today.”

Raisina Hill, the central Delhi slope atop which sit the executive offices of government and the president’s residence – and where protestors flocked last weekend – was deserted Saturday with policemen staffing security barricades.

In Mumbai, there was a gathering of a few dozen at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan. Many protesters wore black bands around their heads and mouths, most of them from new Aam Aadmi political party of anti-corruption activist Arvind Kejriwal.

Shreya Shah/The Wall Street Journal

School children held a banner at a protest at Shivaji Park, Mumbai.

“It is unfortunate that she lost her battle. But if people can be galvanized to look at why this is happening, it might be beneficial for society,” said Mayank Gandhi of the AAP. “I hope this country keeps on protesting.”

Neeta Sukhatankar, 48 years old, lamented the state of the nation where a young woman can be gang-raped on a moving bus. “What is going on in the county is heinous. The government has only words, but doesn’t do anything,” she said.

Soumya Bahadur, a 27-year-old student from Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh, said that it was only because the “goons thought nothing will happen” that they raped the girl.

A 14-year-old school student protesting at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park didn’t seem to have much faith in the government’s ability to protect women. She said that she and her group of friends have started carrying small weapons with them after they heard of the incident in Delhi. “Every woman should carry a weapon,” she said.

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